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Student Name: Ambarose Carter

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Student Number: 83750T

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Subject Name: Destination Development and Marketing

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Lecturer Name: Thomas Koruth

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Name of Assessment: Destination Marketing Strategy

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Date: Sunday 8 December

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.

INTRODUCTION ..3

2.

DESTINATION ANALYSIS .3
2.1

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT ..3


2.1.1 MICRO-ENVIRONMENT .4
2.1.1.1

BUSINESSES ..4

2.1.1.2

SUPPLIERS ..4

2.1.1.3

COMPETITORS 4

2.1.1.3.1

MALDIVES .4

2.1.1.3.2

THE SEYCHELLES ..5

2.1.1.3.3

MAUI 5

2.1.2 MACRO-ENVIRONMENT 6
2.2

SWOT ANALYSIS .6

2.3

KEY COMPONENTS AND JUSTIFICATION 7

2.4

EXISTING PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL 8


2.4.1 BORA BORA MARKETING MATERIAL 8
2.4.2 MALDIVES MARKETING MATERIAL 8
2.4.3 THE SEYCHELLES MARKETING MATERIAL .8
2.4.4 MAUI MARKETING MATERIAL ..9

3.

TARGET MARKET .9

4.

BRANDING .10

5.

PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL ..10


5.1

WEBSITE 10

5.2

TV ADVERTISEMENT ..11

5.3

COMPETITION ..11

6. CONCLUSION ..11
REFERENCES ..12

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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This report was used to format a destination marketing strategy for Bora Bora. Bora Bora
is a picture-perfect paradise, however, tourists numbers havent been as strong and could
potentially damage the island due to its strong dependancy on the tourism industry.

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This report used a SWOT analysis to identify the islands key strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats, as well as analysed the internal and external impacts of the
tourism industry in Bora Bora. By evaluating the results, it can be concluded that Bora
Bora was an island targeted at honeymooners which a significant lack of other purposes
for the use of the island. It was found there was the potential of the island to become a
family orientated island due to the abundance of family activities they offered.

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Therefore this report targets the family market. Methods used in this report to target
families are:

Re-branding. A new slogan was adopted to accentuate the family market


segment; Bora Bora, from where youd rather be.

Promotional material through a competition as well as package deals

Advertising through TV

Advertising on the internet - websites


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1.

INTRODUCTION

Bora Bora is known, according to Tahiti-Tourisme.com (n.d) as the Romantic Island. The
most romantic island in the world. From the dramatic scenery to the privacy and amenities
of the overwater bungalows, Bora Bora is highly regarded as a ten on a romance scale.
Being one of the sixty inhabited islands within the French Polynesia, Bora Bora, is the
number one honeymoon destination. The island is very secluded with a population of
about 8, 900 (Heiderstadt n.d), and with a minor tourists turnover which can be put into
perspective through the example of Hawaii who gets more visitors in 10 days than the
whole of French Polynesia gets in a whole year (instylevacations.ca n.d). Bora Bora relies
heavily on the tourism industry to fuel its economy, where their tourists industry
encompasses majority of honeymooners. With multimillion dollar hotel companies like Four
Seasons, the Hilton and InterContinental these have helped shape the brand of Bora Bora
to be a romantic paradise. However, with the island highly relying on the tourist economy
to maintain the financial stability of the island, new methods of marketing need to be
adopted in order to maintain their successful destination image. Although their reliance
isn't currently damaging to the location, if destination marketing strategies are not updated,
the toll will be devastating to the islands reputation as well as success.

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2.

DESTINATION ANALYSIS

2.1

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

In order to analyse the business environment of Bora Bora, it can be divided into two parts,
micro-environment and macro-environment. The micro-environment refers to the forces
that are close to the tourist destination and affect its ability to serve its guests (Dasgupta
2011, p4). This includes the immediate actors involved in communicating with guests i.e.
businesses; suppliers e.g. advertising agencies; as well as the public i.e. competitors.
According to Dasgupta (2011, p4), the macro-environment refers to all the forces which
influence the industry from a macro context. It consists of six components: demographic,
economic, natural. technological, political and social-cultural environments. By
compartmentalising a business environment into two specific sections, it allows the
business to be analysed thoroughly.

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2.1.1 MICRO-ENVIRONMENT
2.1.1.1

BUSINESSES

Situated on the island of Bora Bora are 20 hotels, as well as over 30 restaurants, and 60
tourists attractions. Bora Bora has three international hotel chains established on the
island which incorporate the luxurious but tropical atmosphere generated while visting
Bora Bora. These hotels include the Four Seasons, Hilton and InterContinental. Vaitape is
the main area of Bora Bora where tourists flee to for amazing restaurants, which positively
impacts the island alongside the breathtaking hotels.

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2.1.1.2

SUPPLIERS

Various companies which have promoted their tourism destination include Flight Centre
through competitions and holiday packages, the website Easy Tahiti which encompasses
hotel deals as well as packages, as well as their main website BoraBora which
accumulates all the necessary information about the island from their culture, to hotels, to
activities. These websites and marketing-research agencies have positively impacted the
island due to the overall amount of 103,138 international tourists visiting the French
Polynesia in 2014 (ispf.pf 2014).

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2.1.1.3

COMPETITORS

2.1.1.3.1

MALDIVES

In regards to honeymoon destinations, Maldives is arguably their biggest competitor due to


the similar luxurious, tropical scenery presented to their visitors. With over 170 hotels to
choose from, and more than 130 restaurants, Maldives offer their visitors with a diverse
range of options. With the Maldives reaching one million tourists in 2013 (Bosely 2013),
compared to the 103,138 tourists visiting the whole of French Polynesia in 2014, highlights
the stronger tourist domination within the Maldives. Although Bora Bora provide the most
popular hotel brands to their guests, the Maldives offer more of the luxurious hotel chains
including Banyan Tree, Taj as well as Universal resorts. The Maldives also offer similar
luxury to their guests at an competitive price, where on average a 5 star resort is $800pn
(maldivesfinest.com n.d) compared to Bora Bora where it is $1,132pn for 5 star
(expedia.com.au 2014). Additionally, the Maldives are a threat due to their abundance of
attractions and activities that are offered to their tourists, not just making it an island for
honeymooners.
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2.1.1.3.2

THE SEYCHELLES

The Seychelles is another destination that is in strong competition with Bora Bora in
regards to a honeymoon destination. Similarly to the Maldives, the Seychelles offer more
to their tourists, from more luxurious hotels, hundreds of attractions and restaurants which
have been aimed at multiple markets alongside honeymoon. With luxury hotel chains like
Hilton, Four Seasons, Bayan Tree, its no surprise visitor arrival figures for 2013 stood at
230,272 while tourism earnings jumped to US $343.6 million (nation.sc 2014). These
figures are still higher than the total for French Polynesia, putting Seychelles in rivalry
against Bora Bora.

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2.1.1.3.3

MAUI

Maui is becoming a sought out destination for newly-weds due to the wide variety of
choices that are offered. With over 50 hotels and over 3,000 holiday rentals, with more
than 700 restaurants and attractions to choose from, Maui is becoming more appealing as
a honeymoon destination. Not only are the businesses more developed within Maui,
advertising for the island is more dominant compared to Bora Bora, attracting a higher rate
of tourists to the island. However, though Maui offers more, it can be considered as a
deal-breaker for honeymooners as they tend to desire peace and tranquility which comes
from an island like Bora Bora. However, Maui still generates 2,115,896 tourists in a year
for the purpose of a vacation or honeymoon compared to 129,992 tourists for the same
purpose in the French Polynesia (ispf.pf 2011). Another competitive advantage Maui has
over Bora Bora is the moderately priced accommodation. Although Maui doesnt offer
over-water bungalows like Bora Bora, guests are still presented with resorts on the beach
for an average price of $327pn (expedia.com.au 2014). Maui being the top four
honeymoon destination (honeymoonguide.com.au 2014), it is becoming a strong threat
against Bora Bora and has the potential to become the number one honeymoon
destination.

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2.1.2 MACRO-ENVIRONMENT

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Table 1: Pest Analysis

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2.1.2.1

Political

2.1.2.2

Economical

2.1.2.3

Social

2.1.2.4

Technological

Authority to improve the


Rising fuel prices which will
existing airport to
impact the price of flights to
accommodate for private
Bora Bora
jets and smaller commercial
aircfrats

The hotels no longer


providing cost effective,
suitable transport for
tourists to and from Vaitape
(Page 2014)

Internet access allows


potential visitors to enquire
into all the aspects of the
island before arriving
e.g hotels, beaches,
attractions, restaurants

High drinking age (21)

Variety of employment
opportunities due to tourism
industry

Internet access allows 24/7


worldwide online marketing

2.2

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The foreign exchange rate


is low, therefore attracting
international tourists

Heavily relies on tourism for Improvement of cultural and


the financial stability of the
historical sites for tourists
island

Internet access allows


word-of-mouth marketing,
as people can share their
experiences

SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths

Weaknesses

Enviable brand image in marketplace!


Excellent resort facilities with ocean based
activities (beaches, diving, and fishing)!
Been awarded with the Pavilion Bleu
every year since 2011 which symbolises
an exemplary environmental quality!
Regarded as the number one honeymoon
destination

Reliance on tourism industry for economic


stability!
Over 21 alcohol laws could possibly deter
young honeymooners !
Accommodation and flights are highly
expensive !
Inconvenience of two flights to get to Bora
Bora!
Average age of the first-time visitor to
Tahiti (Bora Bora) is 46.2 years old

Opportunities

Threats

New target market of families due to the


many family activities offered and could
potentially be offered!
New marina at Faanui; allowing megayachts to moor!
More effective marketing strategies

Development of other destinations around


the world such as Maldives, the Seychelles
and Maui
Rising fuel prices may decrease the amount
of international visitors
Threat of new entrants e.g The Bahamas

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2.3

KEY COMPONENTS AND JUSTIFICATION

Bora Bora is known for its pristine white sand beaches, clear blue lagoons, tropical
vegetation and glamorous resorts, all fit for a perfect honeymoon destination. However,
Bora Bora has a lot more to offer to other markets, making it a destination for all ages.
There are multiple key components that will attract families to this ultimate holiday
getaway. These include:

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Scenic

Guided hikes to Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu

Exploring the ancient Marae temples

Lagoon Tours

Discovering World War II relics

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Entertainment

Luxury spas

Pools and Beaches

Bloody Marys Restaurant

Shopping

Sunset cruise complete with singers and dancers

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Adventure

4x4 Safari Adventures

Aquabikes

ATV Tours

Shark and Ray feeding

Parasailing

Sailing

Snorkelling and Diving

Horseback riding

Island tours

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These activities arent limited to honeymooners, and majority of these activities require no
age limit, therefore, Bora Bora has the potential to be marketed as a family holiday
destination.

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2.4

EXISTING PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL

2.4.1 BORA BORA MARKETING MATERIAL


Bora Bora tourism has been promoted as a romantic paradise. Current advertisement
campaigns consist of romanticised pictures of the island incorporating couples holding
hands, eating a romantic dinner or walking along the beach. These advertisements entice
couples to visit Bora Bora as they highlight the romantic aspects of the island rather than
simultaneously accentuating the activities which can be family orientated. Due to the lack
of children presented within the ads, it can be seen that Bora Bora intentionally advertises
towards the couples demographic.

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Bora Bora is also currently promoted online for anyone to access. As mentioned earlier,
online marketing agencies which promote Bora Bora include websites like borabora.com,
tahiti.com as well as tahiti-tourisme.com. These websites contain information regarding
accommodation, things to do, transportation and travel info. These websites also target
honeymooners through special holiday packages, therefore, attracting that audience with
little regard to other potential target markets e.g families.

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2.4.2 MALDIVES MARKETING MATERIAL
The Maldives is advertised as the sunny side of life, which highlights no discrimination
against any target market. Marketing campaigns for the Maldives have been more
extensive than that of Bora Bora. They have adopted online advertisements through a
CNN advertisement as well as multiple websites. The CNN ad highlights rediscovering
childhood as well as soaking in life, through activities that can be done while visiting the
Maldives.

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2.4.3 THE SEYCHELLES MARKETING MATERIAL
The Seychelles have adopted several marketing campaigns focusing on targeting multiple
markets in order to increase their tourists arrivals. By recently launching their Seychelles
Islandsanother world campaign, highlights their desire to attract multiple demographics.
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From January until March the campaign was executed promoting Seychelles as a leading
holiday destination. It comprised 15 TV commercials broadcast over the CNN channel,
online banner advertising on the CNN website and public relations and marketing activities
generated by CNN (seychelles.travel n.d).

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In addition to the 30-second TV commercials, other marketing materials include online
websites like Seychelles Tourism Board as well as Seychelles Islands. These websites
allow access to accommodation, activities and attractions, as well as featured events.

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2.4.4 MAUI MARKETING MATERIAL
Maui is marketed as the Valley Isle. There isnt much existing marketing material that is
solely focused on Maui, rather just Hawaii as a whole. However, there are websites which
promote the island such as Maui Information Guide as well as Maui.net. These websites
provide information on accommodation, activities as well as general information about the
destination.

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3.

TARGET MARKET

The choice of destination a tourists seeks out depends on their profile, lifestyle and
aspirations as tourists have different tastes and preferences. Based on specific variables,
tourists can be divided into homogeneous groups or tourists segments (Dasgupta 2011).
This allows a certain destination to be targeted at a specific audience with similar tastes
and preferences as the destination offers. In Bora Bora, the new target market will be
families, adopted through a differentiated marketing strategy. Bora Bora offers many
attractions to their guests which arent all aimed at couples and honeymooners. Many of
these attractions e.g ATV tours and snorkelling can be family orientated making Bora Bora
an excellent family holiday destination. By using a differentiated marketing strategy, it will
enable several market segments to be targeted, giving variety to allow for differences in
demographics and interests (Kotler, Adam, Denize & Armstrong, 2009, p243).

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The demographics and psychographics which will be targeted during the new advertising
campaign will be families with one or more child over the age of five, however, without
disregarding other ages 5 or less or grandparents. Families with a household income of

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$70,000+ p/a will also be targeted due to the luxurious holiday Bora Bora offers, but
without discouraging nationality or religion.

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4.

BRANDING

The core of destination branding is to build a positive destination image that identifies and
differentiates the destination by selecting a consistent brand element mix (Cai 2002). In
order to merge the market of families within the branding of Bora Bora, romantic island
must incorporate a more family feel to it. Therefore, the new slogan will be Bora Bora,
from where youd rather to be. This slogan doesnt discriminate against any market, but
rather includes everyone.

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5.

PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN

Promotion and advertising is designed to provide consumers with the necessary


information to differentiate between destinations and influence their destination and
product choices. Advertising can not only influence a potential visitors initial choices but
also influence perception and length of stay (Mules & Huybers 2005). So far, Bora Boras
current Destination Marketing Strategy has influenced honeymooners to their destination
and deterred families away, therefore, a new strategy must be adopted in order to gain the
attention of families.

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In order to do so, the new Destination Marketing Strategy framework will incorporate three
forms of marketing; TV advertisement, holiday competition as well as updated websites
offering packaged deals. These will all demonstrate the new branding of Bora Bora and
highlight the islands potential as a family holiday destination.

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5.1

WEBSITE

First and foremost, the main form of advertising agencies for Bora Bora will be updated
with the new slogan, highlighting the change in branding towards the island. The websites
will still highlight that its a romantic island for honeymooners, but only in the respected
areas of the website. The website will offer applicable information for families regarding
suitable accommodation as well as packages i.e pay for two adults and children under 12
stay free. There will also be a singular tab specifically for families which will also highlight
family activities and attractions that are offered on the island.
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5.2

TV ADVERTISEMENT

A TV advertisement will be promoted during family TV watching peak hours (6am-10am


and 4pm-7pm). The TV advertisement will strongly highlight the aspects of Bora Bora
which will appeal to families. The ad will feature the pristine white sand beaches with kids
playing along the sand building sand castles while the parents are soaking up the sun. It
will also feature some of the many family activities offered e.g. 4x4 safari, ATV tours as
well as snorkelling and feeding the sharks and rays. It will then end with the family having
dinner at a nice restaurant, accentuating that any place can be for a family. The ad will
then close with Bora Bora, from where youd rather be printed across the screen with a
backdrop of the birds eye view of the island.

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5.3

COMPETITION

A friendly competition will be held through Woolworths due to its strong family orientation.
The competition will encompass families to spend $50 or more to enter the competition
where they will have the chance to win a trip with their family (two adults and two children)
to Bora Bora (flights accommodation and two free activities included). In order to enter,
they will have to ask the following question within 25 words or less: What makes a holiday
destination, a family destination? The competition pamphlet will have a short story of Bora
Bora, highlighting all the family activities that they can choose from if they were to win. The
purpose of the competition isnt only to bring attention to Bora Bora as a family holiday
destination to those who enter but to stimulate word-of-mouth in order to promote the
island further.

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6.

CONCLUSION

The Bora Bora Destination Marketing Scheme has highlighted the potential of Bora Bora to
be a family destination rather than just a honeymoon attraction. By analysing the internal
and external environment, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as well as
evaluating their competitors, a more efficient marketing strategy can be adopted in order to
attract more tourists to the island. A new target market of families will increase the number
of tourists to the island. This will be done through implementing a new destination brand
through the new slogan Bora Bora, from where you'd rather be, which will then be
promoted through a TV ad, a competition as well as website updates. By following this
framework, Bora Bora will become an island appealed to both honeymooners and families.
Word Count: 2,717
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REFERENCES

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Bosely, D. 2013. Maldives reaches one million tourists target for 2013, Minivan News, 26
November
Available: http://minivannews.com/politics/maldives-reached-one-million-tourists-targetfor-2013-72336 (accessed 4 December 2014)

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Cai, A. (2002). Cooperative branding for rural destinations. Annals of Tourism
Research, 29(3), 720-742.

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Dasgupta, D. 2011. Tourism Marketing. Dorling Kindersley, India
Available: http://books.google.com.au/books?id=oXWAEjcGFsC&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=destination+micro
+environment&source=bl&ots=d81HukUBWv&sig=ShtgjxhePICU1O6Hu-6nTGzDjLE&hl=e
n&sa=X&ei=W7p_VJ_wK-TLmAX-uICwCw&ved=0CEMQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
(accessed 4 December 2014)

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expedia.com.au. 2014. 19 hotels in Bora Bora for 2 adults
Available: http://www.expedia.com.au/Hotel-Search?
storedCheckoutField=&storedCheckinField=&lang=3081#adults=2&star=50&regionId=602
861 (accessed 6 December 2014)

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expedia.com.au. 2014. 140 hotels in Maui Island for 2 adults
Available: http://www.expedia.com.au/Hotel-Search?
storedCheckoutField=&storedCheckinField=&lang=3081#destination=Maui+Island,
+Hawaii,+United+States+of
+America&adults=2&regionId=180073&star=40&sort=mostPopular (accessed 6 December
2014)

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Heiderstadt, D. n.d. All About the Island of Bora Bora
Available: http://gohawaii.about.com/od/tahiti/a/all-about-bora-bora.htm (accessed 4
December 2014)
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honeymoonguide.com.au. 2014. Top 10 Honeymoon Destinations
Available: http://www.honeymoonguide.com.au/top-10-honeymoon-destinations.html
(accessed 6 December 2014)

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instylevacations.ca n.d. 10 Interesting Facts About Bora Bora
Available: http://www.instylevacations.ca/post/view/10-interesting-facts-about-bora-bora
(accessed 4 December 2014)

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ispf.pf. 2011. ISPF - tourism expenditure survey
Available: http://www.ispf.pf/bases/Tourisme/EDT/Donnesdtailles.aspx (accessed 6
December 2014)

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ispf.pf. 2014. ISPF - Tourists Survey
Available: http://www.ispf.pf/bases/Tourisme/EFT/Details.aspx (accessed 6 December
2014)

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Kotler, P., Adam, S., Denize, S., and Armstrong, G., 2009; Principals of Marketing, Pearson
Education Australia: Frenchs Forest, NSW

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maldivesfinest.com. n.d. Resorts in the Maldives - Complete Collection
Available: http://www.maldivesfinest.com/resorts (accessed 6 December 2014)

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Mules, T., Huybers, T. 2005. Destination Marketing, Substitution Between Tourism
Destinations; An Application of Discrete Choice Modelling
Available: http://www.sustainabletourismonline.com/destinations-and-communities/
implementation/destination-marketing/promotion-and-advertising (accessed 6 December
2014)

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nation.sc. 2014. 2013 statistics: Record visitor arrivals boost tourism earnings
Available: http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=240314 (accessed 4 December 2014)
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Page, R. 2014. Bora Bora Politics & Tourists
Available: http://www.bora-bora-insider.com/bora-bora/history/bora-bora-politicstourists.html (accessed 6 December 2014)

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Tahiti-Tourisme.com (n.d) Bora Bora
Available: http://www.tahiti-tourisme.com/islands/borabora/bora-bora.asp (accessed 4
December 2014)

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